As summer comes to Northeast Ohio, rising water temperatures are bringing an infestation of midgesalong the shores of Lake Erie.
Residents complain of swarms covering buildings and cars. The fly-like insects do not bite and only live for a few days.
Experts say they’ll likely die down during a heat wave this week.
ButJohn Pogacnik, a biologist with Lake Metroparks, says the midges show Ohio has a healthy ecosystem.
“If it was heavily polluted, you wouldn’t see the huge numbers of them hatching. And when they do hatch, it’s a huge thing for breeding birds who right now are raising young, so it’s an easy food supply. They know you’re getting a lot of insects hatched this time of year and it’s free food.”
He says Ohio could get more midges later this summer, but their numbers will be much smaller.